Wine and chocolate alliance

GUESTS at the Apothic Decadence took part in unlocking the mystery of the Apothic range of wines paired with chocolates. The event was held at Cocobel in Woodbrook on Wednesday evening.

Chocolatier Isabel Brash, owner of Cocobel said all her chocolates are made from Trinitario cacao beans that were harvested, fermented and dried at Rancho Quemado Estate, Palo Seco.

“Everything is totally local and inspired purely from our soil.”

Juan Botero, area manager of E&J Gallo Winery international thanked Brash for the pairing event.

He said the Apothic brand is 13th century and introduced the first of five wines, the Apothic white, a combination of Chardonnay, Reisling and Pinot Grigio. As guests sampled this wine they were served Mermaid’s Kiss, a dual-layered ganache of pineapple infused with chadon beni, and dark chocolate.

The second pairing was between the Apothic Crush (red blend of Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah) and Moonlight Affair (a spiced honey marshmallow on a bay leaf, infused with dark chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of nibs).

Guests were then served Apothic Red (a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, dark fruit and spicy notes) with Expresso Shot (chocolate infused with locally roasted coffee), after which they had the Apothic Dark (red blend of Teroldego, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, integrated with blackberry and black cherry and coffee) and Dark Heart (chocolate with a hint of vanilla bean).

The final wine served was the Apothi Inferno red blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot aged in whisky barrels.